An aerial view of the Woodstock Music Festival in Bethel, N.Y., on Aug. 16, 1969. LIBRADO ROMERO / NYT

WOODSTOCK — WHAT REALLY ‘HAPPENED’

The media were praising Woodstock’s (August 1969) 50th anniversary. Accounts were unbelievably positive about this “happening.” The accounts were just that: Unbelievable. Here’s what actually “happened,” if you were close enough to even hear the music.

Woodstock was organized by incompetents to the point of being a hazard to human life. Only two people died, but it could have been worse. A last-minute venue change nearly aborted the event in July. “Organizers” created a new site on Max Yasgur’s farm with a primitive stage and little else. Incomplete fencing so ticket money could not be collected. Ergo, a free concert and a financial disaster. Rainstorms. Blocked road access and no planned parking for a half-million participants. Inadequate food services that were heavily augmented by donations from kind local Republican farmers. No ground emergency services, since the roads were blocked by automobiles. Drinking water in short supply and hour-long waits for toilets. If you could find one.

Woodstock was about protesting the Vietnam War and the U.S. army. The U.S. army sent 45 medical teams into the site by helicopter. Medics were able to save many lives among the drug-crazed, tripped-out throng. How ironic.

Ol’ Max’s stately dairy farm became mud and piles of garbage. Cleanup took the efforts of bulldozers and thousands more dollars. Though asked, Max never lent out his farm again. An estimated $1.4 million in debt and 70 lawsuits.

Earlier this year, Canada declared a national climate emergency. Before and after that, dozens of cities and towns did the same. Every media outlet in Canada, including the Ottawa Sun, should provide special, critical coverage of this “emergency.” The IPCC has given us 11 years to get our act together and keep global temperature rise below catastrophic levels. The government we elect this fall will lead us through four of those years, and it’s up to our media to ensure voters have the information they want and need to cast a vote for real climate action.

NICOLE SMART

OTTAWA

(We’re on it.)

THE GUN CRIME TRUTH

There seems to be a lot of confusion and lack of critical thinking surrounding the issue of guns and gangs.

Here it is, in a nutshell, and anything else the politicians are peddling is either an outright lie or mistruth: The bodies working against solving gun crime are the judiciary and politicians at all levels. The judges grant bail within hours to those arrested on gun charges. The offender then walks free, until his trial (which could be years away). Said offender is then free to ply his trade without any interference by law enforcement. When the offender makes it to court, they are handed a sentence (if convicted) of several months. No judge will administer a mandatory sentence. They argue it is an infringement of the Charter rights of the accused. The politicians do not want to address the issue for fear of being labelled racists.

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